


Nightmare

by Sinkme



Category: Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Marvel Avengers Movies Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Nightmare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-28
Updated: 2012-09-28
Packaged: 2017-11-15 04:34:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/523199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinkme/pseuds/Sinkme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce has a recurring nightmare in which he wakes up to see he Hulked out and killed everyone while they slept. He never has, and never plans to, tell anyone about it. Prompt inspired by the Fuck Yeah Avengers Headcanon Tumblr Page prompt #15. Cross-posted on FFN.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nightmare

He knows immediately that something is wrong. Despite going to bed early, he doesn't feel rested. He actually feels awful. His back aches, his head pounds, and his stomach churns with tension.

He blinks and realizes he's laying on the floor.

No.

He's laying on what used to be the _ceiling_. There's a gaping hole above him and he sees smaller bits of debris scattered around him.

Panic hits him full force and he scrambles to his feet.

"No, no, no, no," he moans as he looks around.

The Tower is utterly decimated.

There's worse structural damage than after Loki's invasion and several support beams and walls have given way to their too-heavy loads, crashing down and creating an unstable void in its wake.

His hands clench hard against his temples as his eyes dart around, desperate to remember something, _anything_.

But there's nothing. Nothing significant anyway.

Last night had been quiet. Everyone, even Thor, was back and they'd brought pizza home for dinner. Everyone had called it quits after that, the prospect of a full night's sleep too tempting to pass up.

Now he was here.

No prompting, no threat, no danger.

He'd lost control last night for no reason. And by the looks of what was left of the rooms around him, he'd done some significant damage.

His heart stops at the thought.

This place, it was _home_. It was good and safe and happy and filled with people he cared ab-

The shout pulls itself from his throat unbidden, "Tony!"

His desperate yell fades.

"Steve!"

Nothing stirs.

"Natasha!"

It is utterly still.

"Clint!"

And the only reason that it would be so quiet…

"Thor!"

His last, desperate, hope is less than a whisper, "Jarvis?"

There's no answer from anyone and he screams in denial.

He twitches and startles himself awake.

His breathing is too fast and his heart pounds in his chest.

Tears leak out from his clenched eyelids and Bruce tries to calm himself down before his nightmare becomes a reality.

The motions are habit by now and he doesn't hesitate to pull out his personal laptop and switch it on. He could ask Jarvis to do the check but he needs to see for himself and he needs to move past this dream. Secretly he's still terrified that when he calls out to Jarvis the AI won't answer him and he'll lose his mind to the anger.

He accesses the security program that he 'borrowed' from Tony and confirms that the Tower is still standing. With each affirmation his breathing slows and by the time he's certain that all his teammates are safe in their rooms he feels the vise that had been gripping his heart loosen.

He sits quietly in the dark and administers himself the strongest sedative he has, knowing it will knock him out until mid-morning.

At which time he'll stumble out of bed, see everyone with his own eyes, and rein in this nonsense.

Sometime in the next three and a half weeks he'll wake up again in the middle of the night, sweating and scared, and desperate to know that his worst fear hasn't come to pass.


End file.
